Mount Logan Mountaineers helping Mali

A suggestion from student Tori Eliason to her Mount Logan Middle School Principal has grown into a fundraiser this weekend to help build a school in Africa. “Building Two Schools at a Time” is the event Saturday at Mount Logan Middle School to raise funds for a school in Lena, Mali. “We have an opportunity to help build a school in Mali, West Africa,” said Principal Mike Monson. “We have the chance to raise money but also our students get an opportunity to name the school. “We have people who have pledged to donate a dollar back to Mt. Logan for every dollar that we raise, in addition to that, so that’s why we call it ‘Building Two Schools at a Time.’ It gives us the chance to have funds for our summer programs and assemblies and student activities.” A Mali native and graduate of BYU, Yeah Beaman, has created the Mali Rising Foundation to build schools in the country of 13 million people. “He came and did an assembly at our school and showed us how students in Mali walk five to seven miles to go to school, walk back home to eat because there is no school lunch program, then return in the afternoon for more schooling before returning home. They walk 20 to 25 miles a day to get an education.” Beaman, who said he plans to seek the presidency of Mali in 2012, told the Mount Logan students his plan to get his country out of poverty is to educate the young people of Mali. “We’re looking for donations and we’ve had some very generous responses from some local businesses that are sponsoring the race,” said Monson. A 5K race and one mile run/walk begins Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Mount Logan Middle School. Benefactors have committed to matching dollar-for-dollar to the building of a new school plus an additional dollar to Mount Logan Middle School. Registration forms are available at Mount Logan Middle School, Al’s Sporting Goods, Logan City Recreation Center and Runner’s North in Providence.

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